In a study from Tulane University, scientists found people who are at higher risk of diabetes need to cut the carbs in their diets.
They found a low-carb diet can help those with unmedicated diabetes—and those at risk for diabetes—lower their blood sugar.
Low-carb diets are often recommended for those being treated for diabetes.
But little evidence exists on whether eating fewer carbs can impact the blood sugar of those with diabetes or prediabetes who aren’t treated by medications.
In the study, the team examined participants whose blood sugar ranged from prediabetic to diabetic levels and who were not on diabetes medication.
They compared two groups: one assigned to a low-carb diet and another that continued with their usual diet.
After six months, the low-carb diet group had greater drops in hemoglobin A1c, a marker for blood sugar levels, when compared with the group who ate their usual diet.
Those in the low-carb group saw A1c levels drop 0.23% more than the usual diet group, an amount “modest but clinically relevant.”
The low-carb diet group also lost weight and had lower fasting blood sugar levels.
Importantly, fats made up around half of the calories eaten by those in the low-carb group, but the fats were mostly healthy monounsaturated and polyunsaturated fats found in foods like olive oil and nuts.
The team says the key message is that a low-carbohydrate diet, if maintained, might be a useful approach for preventing and treating Type 2 diabetes, though more research is needed.
The study’s findings are especially important for those with prediabetes whose A1c levels are higher than normal but below levels that would be classified as diabetes.
Approximately 96 million Americans have prediabetes and more than 80% of those with prediabetes are unaware, according to the CDC.
Those with prediabetes are at increased risk for Type 2 diabetes, heart attacks or strokes and are usually not taking medications to lower blood sugar levels, making a healthy diet more crucial.
If you care about diabetes, please read studies about what you need to know about diabetes drug metformin, and people with diabetes should consider taking this vitamin.
For more information about health, please see recent studies about natural coconut sugar that could help reduce blood pressure and artery stiffness, and anti-inflammatory diet could help prevent fatty liver disease.
The study was conducted by Kirsten Dorans et al and published in the journal JAMA Network Open.
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